Malted Milk Chocolate Linzers
Thank you, Calphalon, for sponsoring this post!
Merry almost Christmas, friends! How is your holiday going?! The last thing on my home for holidays bucket list is baking a boat load of cookies for the family. Where’s my butter?! I actually fly back to California on Christmas Eve and I plan to not open my computer until 2022.
So, I guess this is the last recipe of the year. And we are ending on a sweet note. One of my favorite gifts to give is a recipe. A recipe inspired by someone’s favorite flavors or memories. These Malted Milk Chocolate Linzers are inspired by my parents’ favorite sweets: Maltesers and Milano Cookies. Honestly, those are some of my favorite treats too. So nostalgic! Maltesers are the English/Hong Kong version of a Whopper. They are little balls of malty sugary goodness covered in chocolate. And I think most of us know of the beloved Milano cookie, right? So many of my school lunchboxes included a couple of these tucked inside.
Malty Shortbread Cookies
I’m obsessed with malted milk powder at the moment. I bought a bottle on a whim a few months ago and have been waiting for the right recipe to add it to. I just love the roasty, malty flavors it adds. It obviously pairs deliciously well with chocolate. So for these linzers, I added malted milk powder into the shortbread cookie dough. The flavor is subtle but oddly tastes more intense as the cookies cool and sit for a day or two (if they last that long) and especially when paired with chocolate!
A dough similar to shortbread is best for a linzer cookie because they hold their shape very well, which is important when you’re trying to mix and match shapes for the overall cookie and then the small cutout. The shape holds up best in the oven when the dough is a little chilled. So if you have room in the fridge and some extra time, pop the baking sheet in there to chill for a few minutes before baking!
A Trusty Baking Sheet
I’ve baked A LOT of cookies the last few weeks and have tested this recipe quite a few times to get the malty flavor and texture of the ganache and the cookies to match up just right. Every batch of cookies have been on my Calphalon Nonstick Baking Sheet. Just like any kitchen tool, having a great quality baking sheet makes such a huge difference in your experience and the final product. This baking sheeting handles heat so well, doesn’t warp (this is huge for me), and is so nonstick. I typically always bake with a sheet of parchment paper so cookies slide off easily but with this one I don’t have to worry about that and can bake directly on the sheet.
So if you’re looking for any last minute gifts or just want to upgrade your bakeware, make sure to use the code KRISTINA25 for 25% off your whole order at Calphalon.com!
A Sweet End to 2021
These cookies are so fun to make and adorable too! I love the nostalgic flavors of malt balls and Milano cookies. I should bake these year round, a true sign of a good cookie!
Thank you all for all the support and love this year on Eat Cho Food! It has been so wonderful to see all your creations! I can’t wait to share with you everything I have planned for 2022. It’s going to be an even more delicious year ahead!
Malted Milk Chocolate Linzers
Makes 24 sandwich cookies
Dough:
320g (2 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
100g (2/3 cup) malted milk powder
1 tsp coarse salt
227g (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
70g ( 1/2 cup) powdered sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
Milk Chocolate Ganache:
170g (6 oz/1 cup)) milk chocolate
114g (1/2 cup) heavy cream
Make the dough: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk to combine flour, malted milk powder, and salt. In the bowl of a standmixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine softened butter and powdered sugar. Mix on medium speed until light and airy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated, 1 minute. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until a cohesive dough forms, 1 minute. The dough will be sticky. Divide the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap. Wrap and form into thick discs. Chill in the fridge until firm but somewhat pliable, 1 to 2 hours. You can also freeze the dough up to 3 months and allow to soften on the counter before rolling out dough.
While the dough is chilling, prepare the ganache: Place chocolate in a medium heat proof bowl. Warm up the heavy cream in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stovetop until hot (does not need to be boiling). Pour the hot heavy cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir the chocolate until runny and smooth. Cover the ganache and chill in the fridge until firmed up but spreadable (like nutella consistency), about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. If you don’t have good nonstick baking sheets, then line with parchment paper.
On a floured surface, roll out one disc of dough until 1/8” thick. If the dough sticks at any point, add a little bit more flour. Cut out 3” cookies with a cookie cutter of choice. Re-roll the scraps and cut out more cookies. Place cookies on the baking sheets, spaced at least 1/2” apart. Repeat with the second disk of dough, but use a smaller cookie cutter to cut out a small shape for the front of the linzers. These cookies hold their shape best if cold, so if you have room, you can place the baking sheets in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to chill the dough.
Bake one tray at a time, until lightly golden brown around the edges of the cookies, 9 to 11 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to fully cool on a wire rack. Repeat with remaining cookies.
To assemble the cookies, pair. a bottom cookie with a top cookie (with a little shape cut out). Smear a little less than a tablespoon of ganache on the bottom cookie and place the top cookie on top. Serve the cookies immediately or chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
Recipe notes: I like to keep the assembled cookies chilled until a few hours before serving so the ganache doesn’t get too sticky or runny.